She refilled their glasses, drank a little of the wine and said thoughtfully, T have no evidence that one is actually brewing; but it has long been a menace, my fear of which has much increased in recent times. I owe my position to the protection of a clever and most lovable woman, a Circassian Kadin who was the mother of my late husband and thus became the Sultan Valide. She died in October 1805. As Selim's mother was already dead, he gave me the status of Sultan Valide; although I am not so in fact and shall never be until my son, Mahmoud, succeeds to the throne. To the succession he has a rival, Prince Mustapha, the son of another of the Sultan Abdul Hamid's Kadins. She is an evil woman and has twice attempted to have my son poisoned. But on both occasions my devotion to the Blessed Virgin caused Her to intervene and save his life.'
Roger looked up in surprise. 'Can it be, Madame, that you have remained a Christian ?'
Her big, blue eyes widened. 'But of course, Monsieur. Naturally, many endeavours were made to persuade me to become a Muslim, but nothing would ever induce me to abandon the true Faith.'
More than ever Roger admired the extraordinary strength of will that animated this frail, beautiful woman as, shaking back her long golden hair, sparkling with diamonds, she went on.
'The increased danger to our lives from a palace conspiracy now lies in the discontent of the Janissaries. For many reigns past, here in the Seraglio, their power has exceeded that of the Sultans. Selim has endeavoured to break it by forming a new corps of Turkish-born soldiers called the Nizam-i-jedad. Not unnaturally, the Janissaries, who are mostly Circassians, became jealous of this new bodyguard. To placate them Selim, against my advice, embodied a considerable number of the younger Janissaries into the Nizam-i-jedad; and that, I believe, has resulted in undermining their loyalty to him. The evil Kadin of whom I spoke, although her son is technically a prisoner, has much influence with these malcontent, reactionary troops. It needs only a spark to set off a revolt that would lead to a blood bath, place Prince Mustapha on the throne and secure for his mother her lifelong ambition to become Sultan Valide.'
After a moment, Roger said, 'Madame, I pray you accept my devotion. If there is any way in which I can serve you, or assist in your protection, you have only to command me.'
She gave him a sad smile. 'Alas, there is naught you could do to aid me should my fears be realised. But, now that my dear friend Fanny de Sebastiani is dead and her handsome husband so grieved by her loss that he is abandoning us, it will be a great comfort to me to have here a brave French gentleman to whom I can talk unreservedly. I pray you, Monsieur le Chevalier, to come often to sec me. I will give orders that any of these greedy eunuchs who demand a bribe to announce your presence, shall be bastinadoed every week for a month.'
Crossing the room to the door through which Fatima had disappeared, Aimee recalled the girl, then jerked the bell rope. Roger reassumed his most deferential manner and began to take his leave. Yussif, the eunuch who had brought the champagne, arrived and escorted him from the 'Presence' back to the Gate of Felicity.
As he passed through it, Roger happened to look to his left, and his glance fell upon a sight that, his mind being so fully occupied, he had not noticed on entering the gate. It was a pile of human skulls: some with the flesh still on them and being devoured by a swarm of big bluebottles. Inwardly he shuddered at this evidence of the barbarities that the courageous Aimee was striving to abolish. Having caught his expression of disgust, Yussif grinned at him and said in Turkish:
'Those are the heads of the men that the Janissaries believe to have been traitors to them. They are placed there as a warning to others.'
'I find it difficult to believe that His Imperial Majesty the Sultan approves of this,' Roger remarked.
The eunuch shrugged. 'That is not for me to judge, Effendi. But those of us who are the loyal servants of Her Sublimity the Sultan Valide never know the day when we may find ourselves hung by the neck from the great elm in the First Court.' With a bow, he added, 'May Allah the Merciful, the Compassionate, have you in his keeping, Effendi.' Then he handed Roger over to one of the White Eunuchs who saw him out of the Palace.
In the room over the tailor's shop Roger changed back into uniform, then recrossed the Golden Horn with Achmet. Thinking matters over, he was well content with the situation of Turkey as Aimee had disclosed it to him. Had matters been otherwise and the Turks likely to accede to Napoleon's request that they should launch an offensive across the Danube, he had intended himself to reveal what Talleyrand had told him of the Sultan's waning authority in the Balkans and, posing as the confidential messenger of Josephine, tell Aimee that the Emperor was fully capable of defeating the Czar without Turkish help; so the Sultan would be most ill advised to jeopardise further his own position by sending another army against the Russians. But it had proved unnecessary to do that. Whatever promises the Sultan might make to General Gardane, it was clear that he could not carry them out.
As Aimee corresponded with Josephine, it was quite on the cards that she would mention Roger's visit; so he was much relieved that he would not later have to explain away having given her advice contrary to French interests. She would, no doubt, send her thanks for the candlesticks, but that did not worry him. In due course he would tell Josephine that he had made the gift in her name, believing that his having done so would please her. And he felt certain that it would.
About Aimee's own position he was considerably worried; but, in spite of her invitation, he did not wish to give her the impression that he was taking advantage of her friendliness, so he decided against paying her another visit until the Monday. That morning, having changed again in the room over the tailor's shop into the costume of a Greek merchant, he made his way to the Palace. This time he was received very differently. The Kapi Aga was brought at once to the waiting room in the great gate, and enquired solicitously as to Roger's health. A messenger was despatched to the Kizler Aga and, after a brief wait, the visitor was conducted across the court to the Gate of Felicity. There Yussif met him with smiles and bows, then took him through the maze of corridors to the Sultan Valide's apartments.
With her on this occasion, besides the slim, doe-eyed Fatima, were two men. The elder had a long, thin nose, heavily-lidded eyes, a thin moustache and a very full, black beard. He was dressed simply, in a loose silk robe, but above his lofty forehead rose a large white turban, in the centre of which flashed a huge diamond. The younger had a heavier moustache, but a less full beard, and arched black eyebrows above eyes that were as large and lustrous as Aimee's, although dark brown. Instantly, Roger realised that he was in the presence of the Sultan and Aimee's son Prince Mahmoud.
As he went down on his knees, Aimee curtsied to the Sultan and said in French, 'Permit me, Sire, to present to you a brave French officer, the friend and confidant of my cousin the Empress Josephine: Colonel le Chevalier de Brew!
Roger's hands were clasped, with his head bowed over them. To his ears there came the voice of Selim, speaking in heavily-accented and bad but understandable French. 'Welcome to our Court, Monsieur. Rise and be seated. Here in this blessed haven from pomp, anxiety and toil, provided by our beloved Naksh, we do not stand on ceremony.'
Coming to his feet Roger smiled, bowed and said, 'Your gracious Majesty honours me beyond my deserts.'
Then Aimee waved a hand towards the younger man: 'My son, Prince Mahmoud.'